What is your "That Book"?

[The_Decoy]

Yeah, you definitely should. I don't really know where you are in the book, but the minor details in the beginning come back up later, which is kind of a pain, but will be used in awesome ways, I don't wanna spoil anything for you.

I've read a few books where the author says stuff like that, it makes the reading much more interesting I think.

I've never heard of that book before, what's it about?

I'm currently at a royalist dinner party after dearest Ed has been seized by the gendarme. The friend who lent it to me is amazed I haven't heard the story before, so thank you as I'm trying to keep everything spoiler free

Yeah, it's quite a nice technique, it makes it feel more like someone telling you a story round a campfire... Any other books like that you'd recommend?

The Malazan Book of the Fallen is actually a series of ten books covering around three continents and a few years. If you like epic fantasy, multiple plotlines, shitloads of actually decent characters then it's well worth reading if you've got the time. Most fantasy is a bit crap when it's played straight but Erikson develops a lot of well rounded characters who actually have a sense of humour and humanity about them.

The first book - Gradens of the Moon - is about the invasion and occupation of a continent. Everyone schemes, there are occasional betrayals and some really quite sad bits throughout the series.

It gets better after that and that's all I'm going to say, and you're welcome! It's a pet-peeve of mine when people damn near spoil books for me.

Well, the last book I've read that did that was Soren Kierkegaard's Purity Of Heart Is To Will One Thing. It's a philosophy book, and he's notorious for using that style. So if that's your thing, I highly suggest checking that out. Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles use it as well- Interview with the Vampire, Vampire Lestat, and Queen of the Damned- if you want to actually read a good vampire book. I don't remember any other authors that use them off the top of my head right now, sadly.

Good god, you weren't kidding about time consuming. Decent characters you say? Well now I'm going to definitely have to check that out now, seeing as I'm right in the middle of heavy book I wouldn't mind starting a series that's actually light.

To be honest I'm not finding it that bad a read so far - a little slow, but since I'm stuck at home with nothing to do for two weeks I can cope with that.

Now that sounds like a heavy book. Been a little while since I delved in to philosophy (unless you count fear and loathing I guess) so that might be fun. Haha you've just reminded me of the awful-yet-brilliant Queen of the Damned film. Is the book anything like it's rather strange counterpart? I'll certainly try them out next time I get access to a library.

Yup, it can be a little tricky keeping tabs on all the characters as he has so many and they all wander across the planet. He's also not scared of killing them off, probably because he has so many. Whatcha reading just now?

 

[rancher of monsters]

Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist, actually pretty much anything that he's written is probably worth a second read, but The Alchemist is easily one of my favorite books.

 

[HeroKing89]

You know that book you just keep guming back. That book that just hits the spot for you.
It dosent have to be just one book, it can be a series if you want.
For me its the Artemys Faoul series (yes thats not how you write it) from Ouen Kolfer! Its just something about elfs with jetpacks and laser guns that just does it for me

O___O me too! I can't remember how many times i've read that book. But you said it so i feel obligated to pick another one. Let's go with The Golden Compass//The Northern Lights

 

[Thundero13]

The Alice in Wonderland books by Lewis Carroll, as silly as it sounds, I just love them ^_^

 

[ChildofGallifrey]

Cirque Du Freak by Darren Shan. Great books, definitely worth the time to read them.

It got a little strange towards the end of the series (same thing happened with the Demonata books now that I think about it...), but up to The Vampire Prince I must have read them a dozen times each.

OT: For me, definitely, definitely "Ender's Game". I could read that book day in, day out and never get tired of it.

 

[SoranMBane]

Jack London's White Fang. I first read this book when I was about seven or eight, and I've loved it ever since. For over 90% of the books I've ever read, one reading is usually enough no matter how good they are, but White Fang I've read about four times over the course of my life. Maybe it's just that awesome, or maybe it's just nostalgia from it being the first serious classic novel I'd ever read, but either way that bloodthirsty wolf-dog still holds a special place in my heart.

 

[sage42]

The Hobbit or the Harry Potter series both are the only books I've read more than once.

 

[Fiz_The_Toaster]

Yeah, you definitely should. I don't really know where you are in the book, but the minor details in the beginning come back up later, which is kind of a pain, but will be used in awesome ways, I don't wanna spoil anything for you.

I've read a few books where the author says stuff like that, it makes the reading much more interesting I think.

I've never heard of that book before, what's it about?

I'm currently at a royalist dinner party after dearest Ed has been seized by the gendarme. The friend who lent it to me is amazed I haven't heard the story before, so thank you as I'm trying to keep everything spoiler free

Yeah, it's quite a nice technique, it makes it feel more like someone telling you a story round a campfire... Any other books like that you'd recommend?

The Malazan Book of the Fallen is actually a series of ten books covering around three continents and a few years. If you like epic fantasy, multiple plotlines, shitloads of actually decent characters then it's well worth reading if you've got the time. Most fantasy is a bit crap when it's played straight but Erikson develops a lot of well rounded characters who actually have a sense of humour and humanity about them.

The first book - Gradens of the Moon - is about the invasion and occupation of a continent. Everyone schemes, there are occasional betrayals and some really quite sad bits throughout the series.

It gets better after that and that's all I'm going to say, and you're welcome! It's a pet-peeve of mine when people damn near spoil books for me.

Well, the last book I've read that did that was Soren Kierkegaard's Purity Of Heart Is To Will One Thing. It's a philosophy book, and he's notorious for using that style. So if that's your thing, I highly suggest checking that out. Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles use it as well- Interview with the Vampire, Vampire Lestat, and Queen of the Damned- if you want to actually read a good vampire book. I don't remember any other authors that use them off the top of my head right now, sadly.

Good god, you weren't kidding about time consuming. Decent characters you say? Well now I'm going to definitely have to check that out now, seeing as I'm right in the middle of heavy book I wouldn't mind starting a series that's actually light.

To be honest I'm not finding it that bad a read so far - a little slow, but since I'm stuck at home with nothing to do for two weeks I can cope with that.

Now that sounds like a heavy book. Been a little while since I delved in to philosophy (unless you count fear and loathing I guess) so that might be fun. Haha you've just reminded me of the awful-yet-brilliant Queen of the Damned film. Is the book anything like it's rather strange counterpart? I'll certainly try them out next time I get access to a library.

Yup, it can be a little tricky keeping tabs on all the characters as he has so many and they all wander across the planet. He's also not scared of killing them off, probably because he has so many. Whatcha reading just now?

It's just a common complaint I hear when people read it. Yeah it's slow, but it's completely worth it.

That's the best I can explain that movie. Borderline kinda and not really. They shoe-horned in a love plot, took out characters and a side story that deals heavily with the ending, and which the movie has a completely different ending. The ending in the book is much better and Akasha's death is way more brutal in the book. Book is much better and much more strange than the movie, and I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not.

Ooooh an author not scared of killing off characters, now I'm sold. At the moment I'm reading Immanuel Kant's Critique of Pure Thought, and I'm about half way through it.

 

[spartan231490]

"Sword of Truth" Series, but Terry Goodkind. I have never read a more immersive book/series. The plot, the characters, the forethought. It's amazing.

 

[Korten12]

The Demon King and it's sequel: The Exiled Queen. I can keep reading them and always find new little details I didn't notice before.

 

[Flutterguy]

Almost anything my George Orwell, Animal Farm is probably my favourite Road to Wingam Pier being my second.

 

[thefrizzlefry]

For me, the answer to the question is a completely evenly-matched toss-up between Douglas Adam's Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy and Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five. Both books, through a completely incidental convergence of the prose's tone, the main message the author is attempting to convey, and any personal significance that the book has taken on wholly due to circumstance, are able to get both my mood and my ability to think critically back to their optimal states, and both can do so without fail. I love these two books.

 

[Teh Ty]

The 2 volumes of FLCL. Such a good series that was incredibly short. My 2 volumes are completely worn out and it's very hard to find new ones. No matter what, I don't touch them anymore because I want them to stay in good condition for a long time.

 

[spartan231490]

Obviously the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. 'Reaper Man' in particular. It holds my record for most times re-read. [18]
But also Tim Dorsey's crazy books about Serge the ADHD serial killer who only takes out jerks. Start with "Florida Roadkill" and be prepared to end up reading the whole series.
And this little series of gems by Charles Grant- the Black Oak detective agency. Think X-Files back when it was really good. There are only five books, each with great atmosphere and memorable monsters, the first is called 'Genesis'. They're a little hard to find [OOP] but Amazon usually has a couple of each if you look them up directly instead of by the authors name.
You can thank me later.

Holy damn! 18 rereads. I've never even reread a book that many ti . . . actually I might have reread The Fifth Ring that many times, too long ago to remember. Admittedly, I would have reread the Sword of Truth series that many times if it wasn't so long. I Think I'm gonna start reread number 9 once I finish with A Song of Ice and Fire.

 

[MostlyHarmless]

I am the Messenger by Markus Zusack. I've read it so much, I've memorized the first 3 chapters.

 

[Comma-Kazie]

Dresden files every time.

 

[Jennacide]

The first three Pern books by Anne McCaffery. (Dragonflight, Dragonquest, White Dragon) I enjoy fantasy a fair bit, but books like Tolkein's never did it for me. My mother introduced me to the Pern books, and instantly fell in love, as they aren't very fantasy, yet involve dragons, and the overall lore and characters of the world are just amazing. I have never loved a fictional character as much as Robinton, or hated one as much as Kylara.

 

[Curlythelock]

I struggle to read a book or series of books more than once. I have read the LOTR books three times so I suppose that is my answer.

 

[The_Decoy]

It's just a common complaint I hear when people read it. Yeah it's slow, but it's completely worth it.

That's the best I can explain that movie. Borderline kinda and not really. They shoe-horned in a love plot, took out characters and a side story that deals heavily with the ending, and which the movie has a completely different ending. The ending in the book is much better and Akasha's death is way more brutal in the book. Book is much better and much more strange than the movie, and I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not.

Ooooh an author not scared of killing off characters, now I'm sold. At the moment I'm reading Immanuel Kant's Critique of Pure Thought, and I'm about half way through it.

Well I guess I'm just feeling patient. It's weird, if a film is three hours and I think they could have told the story as well in one and a half, I'll get bored and reduce the film to a quarter of the screen and do other stuff. But if a books a couple of hundred pages over I'm quite happy to read through them. Though generally not more than once - I've read the Lord of the Rings three times since I was 9, and only the first time did I read the initial 200 pages about the shire and whatnot. I just don't care about hobbits that much.

More strange than a 200 year old vampire rising up again to become a rock God? Sounds like it might be fun

Yes, things become more interesting when you realise that characters can be in actual jeopardy at times. And that sounds hella heavy. Are you a philosophy student or just interested? Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is probably as close to philosophy as I've gotten, unless you count The Prince or Beyond Good and Evil (the latter mainly made me realise that Nietzsche was a dick.).

Edit - forgot Voltaire's Candide, which was actually just kinda sad. Though I'm amazed anyone actually thought that this was the best of all possible worlds...

 

[Stealthygamer]

I've never gummed a book before but i read the RC Star Wars series quite often